Benitez believes he can bring success beyond this season

By Sean Monaghan

The Chelsea interim boss is contracted to the club until May, but feels he can win trophies at Stamford Bridge if given more time, despite a lack of trust from the Blues' faithful

Rafa Benitez has thrown out the first hint that he would like to stay at Chelsea beyond his current contract, due to expire at the end of the season, insisting he can bring silverware to the club if given the chance.

Benitez feels he has faced the toughest conditions a Blues boss could face in his time at Stamford Bridge so far, but believes his ideas for the club going forward are plain and simple.

"The priority is to finish in the top four, then to try and win a ­trophy. But it is not, ‘You have to do this or you have to do that', he told reporters.

"My contract is clear and my future, you never know. The way to have better prospects is to win the next game."

Benitez is keen to stress to the fans that he didn't put the club in its current predicament, having only joined in November, although many of the Chelsea faithful are calling for Roman Abramovich to sack the Spaniard.

"I have had conversations with the people in charge, with the owner. They know my ideas,” said Benitez.

"Analyse if the other managers have had a pre-season here, not me. How many have spent massive money here? Not me," he continued.

"How many managers have played in Japan in the middle of the season with some players injured? And have they had players in the African Cup of Nations? Only me."

Chelsea have won six of their last eight Premier League games, but still sit in third place a full 11 points behind leaders Manchester United, and were also knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Swansea in midweek, but Benitez feels the Blues are doing fine under the circumstances.

"Put everything together and you will see why we are happy with the way we are doing things."

The Blues travel the short distance to Brentford on Sunday for their FA Cup fourth round tie, in a game that Benitez's side must win if they are to have any chance of lifting a domestic trophy come May.